Smooth finish on wood doors

I'm interested in painting our interior doors a dark grey or charcoal but I'm curious as to how I can achieve a super smooth finish. At the moment we have the typical white, wood grain interior doors. I'm not sure if they could be sanded but even so, with all the panels and grooves it would probably be a massive pain.

Would a couple good coats of primer before the paint layer give it that "candy coating"? Here's what the doors look like now:

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Smooth finish on wood doors

Multiple coats of primer serve no purpose when it comes to the final finish.

You are not going to be able to sand that texture off so get used to it.

You can apply a brush stroke free finish though.

I would use a really nice 2.5" angled sash brush.

I would get quality paint from a paint store, not a box store. Assuming you buy a waterbased semi-gloss or something I would buy a bottle Floetrol also.
Mix the Floetrol into your paint per directions.

Have at the doors. Start by painting the inset panels. Then move on to the major horizontal and vertical components of the doors.

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Smooth finish on wood doors

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdsester

You can apply a brush stroke free finish though.

I would use a really nice 2.5" angled sash brush.

I would get quality paint from a paint store, not a box store. Assuming you buy a waterbased semi-gloss or something I would buy a bottle Floetrol also.
Mix the Floetrol into your paint per directions.

Have at the doors. Start by painting the inset panels. Then move on to the major horizontal and vertical components of the doors.

I purchased a Titan airless sprayer but I have not used it yet. At the moment I believe it has a 515 tip in there but I can get something smaller if it would benefit the final finish on the doors. Will that perform the same brush stroke-free finish you just mentioned?

Smooth finish on wood doors

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackofall1

If it were me I would be looking at buying new doors if I wanted a smooth door finish. Sanding won't work well, filling would be even harder.

Mark

What kind of costs would be involved with swapping out 7 interior doors in a house? I imagine it adds up pretty quick. I would also think it's not a direct fit and I'd be doing a lot of adjusting on the doors (which sounds like a headache and a half)

Smooth finish on wood doors

Yes that Titan sprayer will work fine my only suggestion is if you have never sprayed before get some big pieces of cardboard, old plywood, or drywall and practice,a lot before you start. Also there are some good videos on youtube for spraying doors you might want to check out. Good luck.